Picker stick check



Feb. 18, 1941 F. H. PRESSLEY vPICKER STICK CHECK Filed May 31, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F'eux Housfor FRESSLY (Ttfornogg Feb. 18, 2 941. F, p gss y 2,232,266

PIGKER STICK CHECK Filed May 31, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ELIX Housrou PRESSLEY Snventor Patented Feb. 18,- 1941 UNITED STATES PICKER STICK CHECK Felix Houston Pressley, Pelzer, S. C., assignor of one-half to William .D. Dodenhofl, Greenville, S. C.

Application May 31, 1940, Serial No. 338,180

Claims.

This invention relates to a novel picker stick check for looms and more especially to a device of this character in which a friction clutch is employed.

Looms are generally constructed so that the picker stick will be given a very short and rapid acceleration when the shuttle is projected across the loom. This is .commonly called the inward stroke of the stick. The outward or return stroke usually is partially produced by a spring which acts upon the lower end of the picker stick which returns the stick nearly to its original position. The remaining movement is imparted by the incoming shuttle. It is very essential to gradually arrest the picker stick so that the shuttle will not rebound in theshuttle box and cause a mispick on the next stroke of the stick.

It is an object of this invention to provide a picker stick check comprising a friction clutch which will resist the outward travel of the picker stick a greater amount than the inward travel. Due to the necessity of accurately stopping the picker at the proper point after the shuttle engages the same, a clutch of the above-mentioned type has been provided. When the stick travels inwardly to propel the shuttle out of the box, however, the location and the point of stoppage of the vpicker is not so important; consequently, a lesser resisting force is employed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a picker stick check having means for initially and gradually resisting the momentum of the picker stick, in combination with a secondary resisting means for limiting the movement of the first-named means. In other words, a clutch is employed for gradually resisting the momentum of the picker stick and stationary adjustable stops are employed for limiting distances that the clutch can be moved. I

It is another object of this invention to provide a check of the class described which is rigidly supported by the rocker stand and the lay sword thereby lessening the load heretofore ordinarily carried by the lay and positioning the parts closer to the rocker shaft. :a result, the momentum of'the lay is reduced accordingly.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure "1 is an elevationof a portion of a loom,

showing portions of the frame in sectionwitfh with; a

Figure 2 is .an elevation looking along the line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure '3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 3- 3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view taken along 5 in which is rotatably mounted the rocker shaft ll, said rocker shaft having'a sword l2 mounted thereon, and this sword extends upwardly for supporting a lay M. The lay l4 extends across the loom and the intermediate portion thereof has a reed I5 therein through which warp ends,

not shown, are adapted to pass during a weaving operation. The top of the lay l4 serves as a raceway for a shuttle l6 which travels back and forth through the sheds of the warp.

Disposed on the extreme end of the lay I4 is" ashuttle box I! which is adapted to receive the shuttle I! when it is propelled from the opposite end of the lay. While disposed in this shuttle box, a suitable picker IB serves as an impact rev ce'iving member for checking the momentum of the shuttle as well .asan impact delivering member for propelling the shuttle out of .the box.

Picker I8 is secured upon the upper end of a picker stick IS, the lower end of said picker stick having a rocker shoe 2U thereon which rests upon a rocker shoe support 2| on the end of rocker shaft; ll. During the operation of the loom, the upper end of the'picker stick I9 is adapted to rock back and forth from bold line position to,

dotted line position as shown in Figure 1, so as 40 to expel "the shuttle l6 from the shuttle box at the proper time. The l-ay is provided with a suitable slot 26 in which the upper end of the picker stick will operate.

The means for d'elivering the necessary impact to the picker stick [9 to cause it to expel'the shuttle from the shuttle box comprises a suitable lug strap 21 and this lug strap is pulled to the left in Figure 1 at the proper time by a suitable,

pick motion not shown. When the pickerstick has moved its maximum stroke to dotted line position in Figure 1 to expel the shuttle, it is partially returned to bold line position by means of a suitable torsion spring 29, which torsion.

- spring serves to rotate a drum "30 in a clockwise '55 manner at all times, said drum .being mounted on a bolt 35.

Connected to the drum 35 as at 3| is a flexible strap 32, said strap also being secured to the lower end of the picker stick I9 as at 33. As the drum 30 moves in a clockwise manner due to the torsional force exerted by the spring 29, the picker stick will be caused to rotate in a clockwise manner to be partially returned to bold line position (Figure l). The final return movement of the picker stick and the picker is produced by the incoming shuttle which engages the picker at a high speed. The picker gradually gives way under the impact and returns to the bold line position in Figure 1. The parts thus described are conventional, but it is thought to be necessary to disclose this much of the old structure in order to more clearly illustrate the utility of the present invention.

Secured to the picker stick shoe support as v at 35 is a vertically disposed bar 36, which bar has connected thereto as at 31 a horizontally disposed bar 38. The bar 38 has its other end secured to the intermediate portion of lay sword l2 by means of a cap plate 39, and bolts 40, said members 36 and 38 constituting a framework which supports the picker stick checking device, hereinafter to be described. As the lay sword I2 and the rocker shaft ll move back and forth during a Weaving operation, this framework also rocks back and forth together with the associated picker stick check.

The intermediate portion of the vertically disposed bar 36 has a stud shaft 42 extending therefrom, upon which is rotatably mounted a cylindrical member or drum 43. The periphery of this drum is encircled by arcuate brake shoes 44 and 45, said brake shoes being pivoted together as at 46, and the shoe 45 being anchored to bar 36 as at 45a. Brake shoes 44 and 45 also have brake linings 41 and 48 respectively secured to the interior of the peripheries thereof, which brake linings are adapted to contact the periphery of the cylindrical member 43 and offer the desired resistance.

It will be noted that the arcuate member 44 and its associated brake lining 41 is considerably shorter than the arcuate member 45 and its associated brake lining 48. This condition creates a very much greater resistance to the clockwise rotation of the cylindrical member 43 than is offered when said cylindrical member is rotated in a counter-clockwise manner in Figure 1. The free end of the arcuate member 44 has a boss 49 integral therewith in which a vertically disposed bore is provided for the reception of a vertically disposed bolt 50. The lower end of the bolt 50 is adapted to slidably penetrate the free end of arcuate member 45 and the projecting end of the bolt has a compression spring 5| mounted therearound. This compression spring is confined upon the lower end of the bolt and beneath the free end of arcuate memarcuate members 44 and 45 to be spread apart from eaclrother. In normal. operation of the tional amount of resistance.

loom, however, the parts are in the position shown in Figure l. The drum 43 has flanges to assist in confining parts 44 and 45 thereon.

It is to be understood that several positions may be occupied by cam member 55, depending upon the resistance desired to be offered by the clutch. For example, when the boss 49 is contacted by the nose portion a, the resistance is increased beyond the resistance offered when the cam is in the position'shown. Any intermediate position occupied will efiect a propor- In other words, the shorter the distance between pivot 54 and boss 49, the smaller will be the resistance offered by the clutch.

A vertically disposed bar is provided which has the lower end thereof secured to the face of flanged drum 43 by any suitable means such as stud bolts 6| (see Figures 1 and '7). This bar projects upwardly and is adapted to pass through a slot 63, said slot being formed by a suitable means such as strap iron members 64, 65, and

'66, and suitable washers 61, made of any suitable material but are preferably made of leather fibre. .The washers 61 are provided near the ends of the members 64, 65 and B6 to serve as stops to limit the travel of the vertically disposed bar 66 and are held between the strap iron members 64 and 65 by means of bolts or rivets 68, said bolts or rivets penetrating slots 69 which coincide with each other and which are disposed on opposed ends of each of the in Figure 4, is secured to the upper end of the bar 36 as at H.

When it is desired to adjust the position of the washers 61 to thereby cut down the length of the slots 63, it is only necessary to loosen the bolts 68 and move the washers and bolts inwardly toward each other and again tighten the bolts.

The upper end of the bar 6!] has a U-shaped member secured thereto, which in the present instance is made from strap iron, the ends of said strap iron member having slots 16 therein. If desired, members 15 may be made from other suitable material, such as leather, fiber or canvas without departing from the spirit of the invention. The slots are penetrated by a bolt 18. Bolt 18 also penetrates an impact receiving member 19 and as well as the upper end of the member 15 to the desired position.

, During the operation of the loom, the lug strap 21 is caused to move to the left at the proper time in Figure 1, to propel the shuttle 16 out of the shuttle box I! and-through the..warp shed. After the'picker stick has exerted its initial stroke to the shuttle, itengages the impact receiving member 19 and thereafter its movement is resisted by the arm 60 and the'clutch mechanism therebelow. In otherwords. when the picker stick l9 engages the, impact receiving member .19, the arm is rotated in a counter-clockwise manner thereby rotating the cylindrical member members 64, 65 and 66. The assembly as shown 43 in the same direction. Due to the fact that the arcuate members 44 and 45 are secured in a stationary position relative to the bar. 36 by means of the bolt 45a, the brake linings 4'1 and 48 will offer a resistance to the turning of the arm 60 and the drum 43. When the picker stick is finally checked, the parts will assume the dotted line position as shown in Figure 1. The picker stick I6 will then be caused to return partially to its original position by means of the torsion spring '29, previously described. Upon, the next pick the shuttle will be thrown from the other side ofthe lay and caused to engage picker l8 on the upper end of picker stick 19 to restore the picker stick I9 to its original bold line position. However, this return will be gradual due to the fact that the picker stick will engage the impact receiving member 8| and when this member is thus engaged, it will be necessary to rotate the arm 60 and the cylindrical member 43 in a clockwise manner (Figure 1). When rotating in this direction, the friction brake bands 41 and 48 will offer resistance'to the turning. In fact, as previously described, the resistance offered by the brake linings 41 and 48 will be considerably greater when the drum is rotated in a clockwise manner than will be the case when the drum is rotated in a counterclockwise manner. This is a very important feature, because it is very necessary that the shuttle 16 be properly arrested as it enters the shuttle box so that the picker will be in the proper position for expelling the shuttle upon the next pick.

The washers 61 are mounted in a stationary position so as to act as a secondary check for the clutch mechanism.

In the drawings-and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1'. In a loom having a rocker shaft with a lay sword and a rocker shoe support mounted there in, a picker stick mounted on said rocker shoe support, a picker stick check comprising a frame-- work jointly' supported by said sword and shoe support, a rigid arm pivotally mounted in said framework, said arm having an abutting member positioned in the path of said picker stick to engage one side thereof, a complementary abutting member for engaging the opposite side of said picker stick, said abutting members being positioned to engage the stick in advance of the limits of the inward and outward travel, a friction clutch resisting the travel of said abutting members, and means for causing said clutch to exert its maximum resista'nceon the outward travel of the picker stick, a rotatably mounted cylindrical member attached to said arm, .a pair of stationary pivotally connected brake shoes engaging the periphery of said cylindric'al'member,

. one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical member than the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick moves outwardly, and spring-pressed means normally forcing the free ends of said shoes toward each other.

2. In a loom having a rocker shaft with a lay sword and a rocker shoe support mounted thereon, a picker stick mounted on said rocker shoe support, a picker stick check, comprising a framework, ,iointly supported by said sword and shoe support, a rigid arm pivotally mounted on said framework, said arm having an abutting member positioned in the path of said picker stick to engage one side thereof, a complementary abutting member for engaging the opposite side of said picker stick, said abutting members being positioned to engage the stick in advance of the limits of. the inward and outward travel, a friction clutch resisting the travel of said abutting members, means for causing said clutch to exert its maximum resistance on the outward travel of the picker stick, and means for limiting the distance travelled by said pivoted arm during the inward and outward strokes of the picker stick, a rotatably mounted cylindrical member attached to said arm, a pair of stationary pivotally connected brake shoes engaging the periphery of said cylindrical member, one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical member than the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical .member when the picker stick movesoutwardly, and spring-pressed means normally forcing the free ends of said shoes toward each other. I

3. In a loom having a rocker shaft with a lay sword and a rocker shoe support mounted thereon, a picker stick mounted on said-rocker shoe support, a picker stick check comprising a framework jointly supported by said sword and shoe support, a rigid arm pivotally mounted on said framework, said arm having an abutting member positioned in the path of said picker stick to engage one side thereof, a complementary abutting member for engaging the opposite side of said picker stick, said abutting members being positioned to engage the stick in advance of the limits of its inward and outward travel, a cylin drical member rotatably mounted on said framework and attached to said pivoted arm, and a pair of pivotally connected brake shoes resiliently engaging the periphery of said cylindrical members and being non-rotatably secured to the framework whereby the inward and outward travel of said picker stick will be resisted, one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical memberthan the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick moves outwardly, and spring-pressed means normally "forcing the free ends of said shoes toward each other.

4. In a loom having a rocker shaft with a lay swordand a rocker shoe support mounted there- 'on, a picker stick mounted on said rocker shoe support, a picker stick check comprising a framework jointly supported by said sword and shoe support, a rigid arm, said arm having an abutting member positioned in the path of said'picker stickv to engage one side thereof, a complementary abutting member for engaging the opposite side of said picker stick, said abutting members being positioned to engage the stick in advance of the limits of its inward and outward travel, a cylindrical member rotatably mounted on said framework and attached to the lower end of said arm, and a pair of pivotally connected brake shoes, resiliently engaging the periphery of said cylindrical member and being non-rotatably secured to the framework one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical member tha'n'the other and having its free endpointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick moves outwardly, whereby the inward and outward travel of said picker stick will be resisted, and means for limiting the distance travelled by said pivoted arm during the inward and outward strokes of the pickerstick. c

5. Ina loom having a rocker shaft with a lay sword and a rocker shoe support mounted thereon, a picker stick mounted on said rocker shoe support, a picker stickcheck, comprising a framework jointly supported by said sword and shoe support, a rigid arm pivotally mounted on said framework, said arm having an abutting member positioned in the path of said picker stick to engage one side thereof, a complementary abutting member for engaging the'opposite side of said picker stick, said abutting members being positioned to engage the picker stick in advance of the limits of its inward and outward travel, a' cylindrical member rotatably mounted on said framework and attached to said pivoted arm, a pair of pivotally connected brake shoes engaging the periphery of said cylindrical member and being non-rotatably secured to said framework, one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical member than, the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick moves outwardly, and spring-pressed means normally forcing the free ends of said shoes toward each other.

6. In a loom having a rocker shaft with a lay sword and a rocker shoe support mounted thereon, a picker stick mounted on said rocker shoe support, a picker stick check comprising a framework jointly supported by said sword and shoe support, a rigid arm pivotally mounted on said framework, said arm having an abutting member positioned in the path of said picker stick to engage one side thereof, a complementary abutting member for engaging the opposite side of said picker stick, said abutting members being positioned to engage the stick in advance of the limits of itsinward and outward travel, a cylindrical member rotatably mounted on said frameworkand attached to said pivoted arm, a pair of pivotally connected brakeshoes engaging the periphery of said cylindrical member and being non-rotatably secured to said framework, one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical memberthan the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick moves outwardly, spring-pressed means normally forcing the free ends of said shoes toward each other, and an adjustable stop mounted on each side of said arm for limiting the travel thereof during the inward and outward strokes of the picker stick.

7. In a picker stick mechanism comprising a picker stick having a rocker shoe, a rocker shoe stand and means for actuating said picker stick,

a picker stick check comprising a pivoted arm supported by said shoe, said arm having oppositely disposed abutting surfaces disposed in the path of the picker stick during the inward and outward strokes, a. rotatably mounted cylindrical member attached to said arm, a pair of stationary pivotally connected brake shoes engaging the periphery of said cylindrical member, one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical member than the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick -moves outwardly, and'spring-pressed means normally forcing the free ends of said shoes toward each other.

8. In a picker stick mechanism comprising a picker stick having a rocker shoe, a rocker shoe stand and means for actuating said picker stick,

a picker stick check comprising a pivoted arm supported by said shoe, said arm having oppositely disposed abutting surfaces disposed in the path of the picker stick during the inward and outward strokes, a rotatably mounted cylindrical member attached to said arm, a pair of stationary pivotally connected brake shoes engaging the periphery of said cylindrical member, one of said brake shoes encircling a greater portion of the periphery of the cylindrical member than the other and having its free end pointed in an opposed direction to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical member when the picker stick moves outwardly, spring-pressed means ward each other, and an adjustable stop mounted on each side of said arm for limiting the travel thereof during the inward and outward strokes of the picker stick.

9. In a loom having a rocker shaft with a lay sword, and a rocker shoe support mounted thereon, a picker stick mounted on said rocker shoe support, a picker stick check comprising a framework jointly supported by the sword and the shoe support, a rigid arm pivotally mounted on the framework, a friction drum for arresting the movement of the picker stick as it is moved in both directions in receiving and expelling a shuttle, and additional means on the framework adapted to be engaged by the picker stick in its swinging movement for also assisting in the stopping of the movements of the picker stick.

10. In a loom having a picker stick for expelling and receiving a shuttle, said loom also having a rocker shaft and a sword, a framework' normally forcing the free ends of said shoes tof 

